


Necessity Is A Mother

by eternaleponine



Series: Love Makes A Family [6]
Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Foster Care, Mother's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-12
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2020-03-01 14:13:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,630
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18801961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eternaleponine/pseuds/eternaleponine
Summary: Lexa makes her intentions to foster and adopt Aden official, and then has to face one of her first big challenges as a parent: Mother's Day.





	Necessity Is A Mother

Lexa couldn't help the smile on her face as she pushed through the door of the CPS office. She'd just signed the paperwork that stated her official intention to be Aden's 'permanent' foster parent. She had a short list of classes that she needed to take, refreshers mostly, and a schedule of when she could take them, clutched in her hand. She'd been reassured that it would have no impact on Aden's placement with her right now; it was mostly a formality, or things that every foster parent was required to take every few years to keep up their certification. And because they had been unable to locate any relatives, and Aden's guardian after his mom's death had relinquished custody, he was already cleared for adoption. It was just a matter of waiting out the six months – four, now, since he'd been with her since February – trial placement to make sure everything was working out, and then he would be hers.

Her stomach fluttered at the thought. Was she really ready to be a parent? Full time, permanently? Was there still some little part of her that was making plans for what her life would look like when Aden was gone? Was some tiny fragment of her secretly hoping that she could go back to her pre-Valentine's Day life? She didn't _think_ so, but—

"Oh!" she said, her eyes shooting open as she collided with someone hurrying in the opposite direction. "I'm so— _Clarke_?"

Clarke looked up at her – more up than usual, because Lexa was still in her heels from work – and flashed a crooked smile that was maybe more of a grimace, looking simultaneously embarrassed and worried. "Fancy running into you here," she joked. "Although technically you ran into me."

"I'm sorry," Lexa said, reaching out to smooth the shoulder of Clarke's jacket, letting her fingers linger on the material, pressing slightly to feel the warmth of her skin underneath. "What are you doing here?" 

Clarke's jaw clenched and her throat bobbed, her tongue darting out to wet her lower lip, and for a split-second all Lexa could think about was that tongue touching other places... "I'm here for a class," Clarke said. At Lexa's blank look, she added, "To get certified as a foster parent."

"You're... getting certified?" Lexa asked, her brow furrowing. Why would Clarke be getting certified as a foster parent? Was she planning to take in a child of her own? What would that mean for them? It was a selfish thought, but Lexa couldn't stop herself from thinking it. 

Clarke nodded. "I know that when you're fostering only one of the adults in the house needs to be certified, but I remember when we were trying to figure things out it said that in order to adopt, all adults in the household needed to be certified, and I didn't want to get in the way of things for you and Aden." 

Lexa's head felt like it was full of static. She had no trouble hearing Clarke's words, but making sense of them was another story. She was full of questions, but she wasn't sure they were the right ones. Finally she just asked, "Why didn't you tell me?"

Clarke looked away, just for a second, then back at Lexa. "I didn't want it to seem like I was putting the cart in front of the horse," she said. "I didn't want to make assumptions, or make you feel pressured, since the only way it would matter would be if I was actually living with you, and—"

_Oh. **Oh.**_

"Come over tonight," Lexa said. "I don't want you to be late to your class. But come over tonight and we can talk." 

Lines formed between Clarke's brows, and Lexa pressed a kiss there to ease them, then ducked her head to whisper, "Or not talk. Whichever." She pulled back, her lips twisted in a smirk, and Clarke looked like she wanted to swat her, but standing in the middle of the lobby of Child Protective Services was definitely not the time and place for that. "I'll see you later?" she asked, her tone dripping with honey.

"Oh, don't try to pretend you're an angel," Clarke said. She pushed up on her toes slightly and brushed her lips against Lexa's. "But yes, you'll see me later." She took two steps away, then turned and looked back over her shoulder. "How _much_ of me is still to be determined." She winked and breezed through the doors Lexa had just exited, disappearing out of sight.

* * *

They didn't talk. 

Clarke had texted letting Lexa know she wouldn't get there until late; there was something she wanted to try to finish first. Aden was already in bed by the time Clarke texted to say she was there. Lexa went to the door to let her in and padded silently back to her room. She heard the door close, and the click of the lock, and when she turned around Clarke was already shimmying out of her clothes. Lexa's breath caught, and she peeled off the tank top and shorts she'd been wearing and crawled onto the bed, arms out for Clarke to join her. 

It still hadn't gotten old, the way it felt when Clarke's skin slid against hers, their bodies pressing together, curves fitting like they were made for each other. Clarke nuzzled against the underside of Lexa's jaw, her lips grazing her throat, and moaned when Lexa's fingers brushed the side of her breast. She traced Clarke's ribs and down to her hip, then back up again over the soft swell of her belly, between their bodies to circle her nipple with the ball of her thumb. 

"Lexa..." Clarke breathed, the word barely more than an exhale, and when Lexa shifted so that Clarke was beneath rather than beside her, Clarke made no sound of protest, no move to counter, only sighed and offered herself in soft surrender. 

_I love you,_ Lexa told her, with lips and teeth and tongue, until Clarke was gasping and arching beneath her, fingers threaded into Lexa's hair clenching as she shuddered through her climax, which seemed to go on longer than usual, leaving her drained in its wake. 

"Lexa," she whispered again, when she'd recovered, when she'd turned the tables and pressed Lexa into the sheets beneath her, keeping her pinned with the lightest of touches, until Lexa was growling and groaning and begging for more, because there was only so long one could linger on the edge between _almost_ and _oh god..._ and when Clarke finally let her cross that line the world went fuzzy and white, and then dark as sleep dragged her down in the next breath.

* * *

"Don't get up," Lexa whispered, her lips brushing Clarke's shoulder. "I have to get Aden to school, but I want you here when I get back."

Clarke didn't object, just found Lexa's mouth and kissed her, then dragged Lexa's pillow to her chest, hugging it in Lexa's place, her eyes already closing again. 

She was awake when Lexa returned from dropping off Aden. Awake and apparently annoyed by the fact that Lexa was wearing clothing, given how quickly Clarke divested her of it. The sweetness of the night before had dissolved into hunger and heated intensity, and this time there was no teasing, no games. They weren't rough, exactly, but they weren't gentle either. They wanted – _needed_ \- each other, and there was no time for taking turns. With Aden out of the house, there was also no need to keep quiet, and they didn't try. Lexa wasn't sure who came first; it hardly mattered, because within moments they were tangled together, sweaty and spent, their breath gasping pants against each other's cheeks.

_This is what I want,_ Lexa thought. _I want to fall asleep with you, and wake up with you..._

_This is what I want,_ she thought again, as she stepped out of the shower and was greeted by the smell of breakfast wafting from the kitchen.

_This is what I want,_ as they put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher, and Clarke washed the ones that didn't fit and Lexa dried them.

_This is what I want,_ when Clarke kissed her goodbye as they parted ways, Lexa to go to work and Clarke to go home to put the finishing touches on the piece she'd been working on the night before, but had abandoned because she didn't want to Lexa to think she'd stood her up.

* * *

Lexa's phone buzzed on her desk, jarring her out of her daydreams (which were growing more elaborate by the day, fed by the fact that Clarke had slept over more nights than not in the past couple of weeks) and she tapped on the screen to bring up the notification. 

**Luna:** Brunch this week instead of dinner.

Lexa sighed, the warm fuzzy feelings evaporating as if they'd never been. Brunch, because it was Mother's Day and that was their tradition. When they'd been young, their mother had taken them out, an incredibly rare occurrence given the cost of feeding that many mouths, and when they'd gotten a little older they'd taken it upon themselves to make the meal to treat her. When she'd died, they'd kept up the tradition of cooking together, but now it was followed by a visit to her grave, and there wasn't enough maple syrup in the world to make the day anything but bittersweet. 

**Lexa:** What time?

**Luna:** Nine? That should have the food on the table by ten-ish, and keep us from getting our ankles gnawed. 😉

**Lexa: Lol**

But she wasn't laughing, out loud or otherwise. Because she'd just realized that this Mother's Day wasn't just about her mother. It was about Aden's mother, too... and about her. Except she wasn't a mother. Not really. She was sure Aden didn't think of her that way. He'd had a mother, and lost her, and Lexa could never replace her and she didn't want to. 

But she was responsible for him, and part of that responsibility was making sure that he had the opportunity to uphold his own traditions, if he had any. Even if he didn't, she would need to be respectful of the day, and what it meant to him, and...

_And you are in way over your head,_ she realized. _And there is pretty much no way in hell you're not going to fuck this up._

The rest of the day passed in a blur, and by the end of it Lexa had no idea what, if anything, she'd accomplished, and even if she had, it didn't feel as if any of it mattered. She closed her laptop, and for the first time since she'd been hired, she didn't take it home with her. If anyone needed her to do anything, they would just have to wait until Monday. 

Her chest was tight with anxiety when she picked up Aden after school, and she could tell from the look on his face that her attempt at a smile was anything but reassuring. 

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice high and tight, sounding more like a little boy than the young man he was quickly becoming. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened," she said, wrapping her fingers around his wrist and squeezing gently. "I was just thinking about Mother's Day, and I got myself a little worked up."

"Oh," he said, his shoulders slumping. He looked at her sidelong. "You wouldn't lie to me, would you?" he asked. "If something happened, I want to know. Even if..." Aden swallowed, the beginnings of an Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. "Even if it was bad or it might upset me. I know you want to protect me, but I'd rather know the truth."

Lexa let go of his wrist and put her arm around him, pulling him into an awkward hug. The gearshift dug into her ribs, but she didn't care. "I will never lie to you," she said. "I promise."

"Okay," he said, seeming to deflate a little when she let go. He buckled his seatbelt as she eased away from the curb. "Why were you thinking about Mother's Day?"

"It's this weekend," Lexa said. "Luna sent me a text reminding me that it's family brunch, not family dinner this week."

"Oh," Aden said again. He stared out the window, and Lexa didn't push the issue. He would talk when he was ready. If she knew anything about teenagers, it was that it did no good to push them to talk when they didn't want to. That only led to yelling and slamming doors. 

They stopped at the grocery store, because that's what they did on Friday afternoons, and Lexa handed Aden her phone to check things off the list as they made their way up and down the aisles. She grabbed a few extra things that they would need for Sunday, just in case Luna had forgotten anything. It never hurt to have extra bacon anyway. 

"Can I help?" Aden asked. "Make brunch?"

Lexa blinked at him, surprised, but not sure why she was surprised. He helped her in the kitchen all the time at home; cooking dinner together was when she usually heard about his day and any problems he was having at school. "I don't see why not," she said. Usually it was just her, Anya, and Luna cooking – they didn't even let Derrick help – but if Aden wanted to help, if it would help him keep his mind off – or maybe on – his mom, then who was she to say no?

"Cool," he said. He slowed down as they passed the baking aisle, and Lexa stopped the cart.

"Was there something we needed down here?" she asked. 

Aden started to shake his head, then bit his lip. "Could we make sticky buns?" he asked. "They're kind of a pain but..." He trailed off. "Never mind."

"No," Lexa said. "You can tell me."

"Me and my mom used to make them," he said. "Not on Mother's Day, not always, but..."

"Look up a recipe," Lexa said, nodding to her phone. "So we make sure we get everything we need."

* * *

"My mom's coming home," Clarke announced that night as they munched on their pizza. "I just found out today." Her eyes flicked back and forth between Lexa and Aden, and they could see the moment when it clicked why they weren't jumping up and down in excitement for her. "Shit," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't think—"

"It's all right," Lexa said, reaching out to rub her back. "It's just been a rough day. But I'm glad she's coming home." She pursed her lips. "Or maybe I should say I'm glad if you're glad." 

Clarke smiled and fished in her pocket, pulling out a handful of change and dropping it into the jar that Aden held out. "I'm glad," she said. "We haven't always gotten along, but absence—" She stopped herself, her nose wrinkling slightly. "She's been away for a long time. It'll be good to see her again."

"When is she coming?" Aden asked. 

"Not until next month," Clarke said. "She just emailed me to tell me that she won't be immediately renewing her contract." She paused, then said, "I'm sure she'll end up leaving again at some point – she doesn't know who she is when she's not saving people – but it'll be a few months at least, probably." 

"Do you miss her?" Aden asked. 

"Sometimes," Clarke said. "Sometimes I think it's probably better that she's so far away."

"Why?" he asked. 

The corners of Clarke's mouth tipped down. "We don't always see eye to eye," she finally said carefully. "She wishes I'd chosen something a little more stable to do with my life. Something a little more lucrative. But I get by." She shrugged. Lexa suspected there was more to it than that, but she wasn't going to bring it up in front of Aden. 

She wondered if Clarke's mom knew about her, and even more than that, she wondered if Abby knew about Aden. Lexa couldn't help thinking that this – the three of them, curled up in the living room eating pizza and ignoring the TV, just a family doing family things – might fall on the list of life decisions that Dr. Griffin wouldn't approve of. At least not within a few months of meeting. And while it might be easy to not care about a parent's opinion when they were thousands of miles away, could Clarke still be so blasé about it when they were face-to-face? 

Clarke laced her fingers through Lexa's and squeezed, and when Lexa looked at her, she smiled like she knew what Lexa was thinking and wanted her to know that it would be okay. _They_ would be okay. 

Lexa wanted to believe her, so, at least for now, she did.

* * *

"Happy Mother's Day," Lexa said, hugging Luna tight. 

"Happy Mother's Day," Luna echoed, holding on longer than she normally would. "How does it feel?"

"It doesn't feel like anything," she said. "I'm not—"

Luna raised an eyebrow, tilting her head toward Aden, who had moved past them to set the big pan of sticky buns that they'd made the day before (because the dough needed to be rested, and the rolls left to rise overnight) on the counter. 

Lexa shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "It still doesn't feel real. Like, I'm doing it, but I don't know what I'm doing, and I just..." She sighed. "Can we just do this?"

Luna nodded and let her go. "What do you have?" she asked Aden. "Those look delicious already."

"I hope so," Aden said, "considering how much of a pain in the donkey they were to make." He grinned at Clarke and Lexa, who had put at least ten bucks apiece in the swear jar the day before. It was nearly full now, which meant they would have to decide what to do with its contents soon. 

"Pain in the donkey!" Adria squealed, bursting into a fit of laughter. "Mom, he said—"

"I heard him," Luna said. "Can you go help Dad with Jakey, please?"

Adria gave Luna a quick hug, then went bouncing up the stairs to where Derrick was apparently still trying to wrestle Jake into clothes, already shouting up to him, "Dad, guess what—"

"Never going to hear the end of that one, are you?" Lexa asked, nudging Luna. 

Luna grimaced. "Not until she finds something funnier," she said. "Thanks for that." She stuck out her tongue at Aden, who didn't look like he was quite sure whether he was allowed to laugh or not. 

Anya arrived a few minutes later with a grumpy Tris in tow. "She hates me because I wouldn't let her sleep 'til noon," she explained. "She'll get over it once she's been fed." 

"I can make her some toast, if that will help," Luna said. "I think we've even got some cinnamon sugar mixed up somewhere." 

"If she wants toast, she can make it herself," Anya said. "Where do you need me?"

"We're just getting started," Luna said. "Do you want to get the bacon going?"

"The sticky buns need to go in," Aden said. "They take a while to cook." 

"Right," Luna said, going to the oven. "What temperature?"

Lexa handed over her phone so Aden could check the recipe. It occurred to her that it might be in her best interests to get him his own phone. She added it to her mental To Do list; she would add it to her real To Do list when she got her phone back. "I'll start the batter for waffles," she said.

"We can't find the waffle iron," Luna said, "so—"

"It's at my house," Anya said. "I borrowed it like... six months ago and keep forgetting to bring it back."

"Pancakes it is," Lexa said. 

"I'll start in on this massive pile of fruit," Clarke said. "Are we doing a platter or fruit salad?"

"Salad," Lexa, Anya, and Luna said together, then laughed. 

"Unless you're feeling artistic," Anya said. "Then by all means..."

Clarke's eyes lit up, and Lexa was suddenly glad that they had as many cooks in the kitchen as they did, because they had just lost Clarke's help on anything else. On the other hand, the fruit platter would be a masterpiece.

They all got to work, conversation mostly limited to asking each other to pass things, or what next, or warning people that they were behind them with a hot pan or a full bowl. After a little while, Tris realized that no one would be joining her at her pity party, and she poked her head in to see what they were doing. Clarke motioned her over and handed her a knife, showing her how to turn a cross-section of pineapple into a flower, and soon Tris was more focused than Lexa had ever seen her. 

Anya nudged Lexa, and when Lexa looked over, Anya mouthed, 'Keeper.' Or maybe, 'Keep her,' but it amounted to the same thing. Lexa just grinned, her cheeks flushing slightly, and gave the barest hint of a nod. Anya's eyebrows went up, but Lexa shook her head. Anya rolled her eyes and tapped her wrist (where she did not now, nor had she ever worn a watch). Lexa just glared, and Anya laughed.

Aden looked back and forth between them. "Did you two just have an entire conversation?" he asked. 

"Wonder Twin Powers Activate," they said in unison, in matching deadpan, and then cracked up. 

"You see what I had to deal with my whole life?" Luna asked, her eyes bright and warm. "Before I started living with the two of them, my hair was flat and straight. They drove me so crazy it ended up like this." She gestured to the tangle of curls that had been wrestled back into a messy bun. She winked at Aden, who ducked his head as he smiled, like he didn't want anyone to know he knew how.

* * *

By the time they finished eating, Lexa wished she'd worn looser pants. Clarke and Tris' handiwork – an impressionist painting in fruit, it seemed – was a hit, but the star of the meal was Aden's sticky buns. He'd been given so many compliments it looked like the tips of his ears might be permanently red, and she was slightly concerned that he might pull something from the strain of not smiling.

Lexa leaned back in her chair, reaching over to squeeze the back of his neck, and she could feel the heat radiating from his skin. He turned to look at her, and she gave him a thumbs up. He ducked his head, hiding a smile again, and she wished he wouldn't – he had every right and reason to be grinning ear-to-ear – but she let him be. 

"Are we doing this?" Anya asked. 

"Of course we're doing this," Luna said. 

"All of us?" Anya asked. 

"I'll stay home with anyone who doesn't want to go," Derrick said. "I'm not sure bringing Jake..." The little boy had already squirmed out of his chair and gone to the living room to play, which seemed to involve a lot of running around and bouncing off the furniture. Bringing him to a cemetery probably wouldn't be the best idea. They last thing Luna needed was to have to explain why he had a goose egg on his head from running face first into a tombstone. 

"Where are we going?" Aden asked. 

"To visit my mom's grave," Lexa said. "You can stay here if you want to." 

Aden's face twitched. "Do you want me to go?" he asked. 

"I want you to do what feels right for you," Lexa said. "If you want to come along, you're welcome. If you think it would be uncomfortable or upsetting, then you can stay here." She reached out and pressed a hand to his knee, which was jittering up and down. "It's all right," she said softly. "I'm sure Derrick could use the help." Aden nodded, his knee stilling. 

"What about me?" Clarke asked softly as they got up. "Do you want me to come, or...?"

Lexa froze. She hadn't thought about it. She should have thought about it. Because of course Clarke would ask, and she wouldn't expect Lexa to answer one way or the other. She would accept whatever choice Lexa made, and she wouldn't be upset by it either way. 

And Lexa didn't know the answer. On one hand, it was a tradition she shared with her sisters. But others had come along in the past, Derrick and various foster kids, so it wasn't _just_ for them. On the other, she wanted Clarke to know her mother, and her mother to know Clarke. But they weren't going to see her mother, only a plot of grass and a slab of granite. 

"Stay," she said finally. "In case Aden needs someone." 

Clarke nodded, then wrapped her arms around Lexa and held her close until Lexa felt okay enough to let her go. She went and brushed her fingers over Aden's hair where he was working with Adria on a puzzle, then followed her sisters out the door.

* * *

When they got back almost two hours later, the kitchen was spotless, the leftovers that would still be edible the next day portioned out into containers for Anya and Lexa to take home. The kids were playing happily in the back yard, and Derrick and Clarke were on the deck keeping an eye on them and chatting. 

Lexa came up behind Clarke's chair and slid her arms around her, pressing a kiss to her temple. "You're a goddess, you know that?" she said. "I'm lucky to have you."

"As lucky as I am to have you," Clarke said. "Is there anything else you wanted or needed to do? Because Aden and I had an idea."

"Just now?"

Clarke shook her head. "A few days ago, but today's a perfect day to do it."

Lexa looked at Luna, who was sitting leaned against Derrick's side, accepting a bunch of flowers (which were half weeds and half things he probably wasn't supposed to uproot) from Jake, and then at Anya, who had caught a rather put-upon-looking Tris in a hug, and now seemed to be holding on just to annoy her. 

"We can go," Lexa said. "Now you've got me curious." 

Clarke called to Aden, who came trotting over. "You ready?" she asked. He nodded, and after a round of goodbye hugs, they piled into the car with their leftovers and headed out. Clarke had insisted on driving, so Lexa had no idea where they were going until they got there. 

"I'm not really dressed for—" she started to say, but Clarke popped open the trunk and pulled out backpacks, which were stuffed with all of the necessary gear for an afternoon hike – including boots and a change of clothes. She motioned to a little rest area where they could change, and when they emerged, they shouldered their packs (which were fairly light, containing only water bottles, a few light snacks, and a first aid kit) and started their ascent up the trail. 

They hiked mostly in silence, speaking only when one of them needed to stop to catch a breath or take a picture, or to point out something they'd seen that they didn't want the others to miss. There were a few others on the trail, but not many; Lexa guessed hiking wasn't at the top of the list of things the average mom wanted to do on what was supposed to be her special day. 

When they reached the summit, there was a wide rock ledge from which they could look out and see for miles around. Lexa set her pack down and stretched her back, and felt Clarke's arm slip around her waist. She looked over and pressed a quick kiss to her upturned face, then looked at Aden, who was standing on her other side, shifting his weight from foot to foot, his backpack clutched in his hands so tightly his knuckles were white.

"All right?" Lexa asked. 

He nodded, then shrugged, then nodded again, then grimaced. "My mom isn't buried anywhere," he said quietly. "Clarke said you and your sisters go to your mom's grave, and she asked if that was something I maybe wanted to do, but my mom isn't buried anywhere." 

Lexa darted a quick look at Clarke, who just pressed her lips together and tipped her head toward Aden as if to remind Lexa that he was the one who needed her attention right now. And, apparently, a few days ago, because she hadn't even thought to ask Aden about whether he might want to visit his mother. 

"She got cremated," Aden added. "I don't know where her ashes are, but it doesn't really matter because that's not her." He looked up at Lexa. "We didn't do things like this," he said. "My mom wasn't really an outdoorsy kind of person. We went camping once, because I really, really wanted to, but I could tell the whole time she didn't like it." He paused, bit his lip. "I guess I don't know if you like it, either."

"I do," Lexa said. "I mean, I'm never going to hike the Appalachian Trail or summit Kilimanjaro, but this is nice." She smiled at him, and he flashed a crooked smile back. 

"Okay," he said. "Good. Because I wanted to do something... and I know you're going to say I didn't have to and that I don't have to say thank you and all that, and I know, but..." Aden bit his lip. "But I remembered what you said that first day, about how it's like... climbing mountains. And thinking about Mother's Day... I thought it would be like being at the bottom of the mountain all over again. Except it wasn't. Because... because I knew that my mom would be happy that I'm here... with you..." His eyes flicked to Clarke. "Both of you. She would be happy that I have a place to stay where I, um, where I feel like I belong and, and where I..." His eyes filled with tears and his lip trembled, the words breaking off as he sniffed hard. 

"Shh," Lexa murmured, pulling him into her arms, stroking his hair and his back as his narrow shoulders heaved and his chest hitched as he fought to keep his emotions in check. "It's all right," she told him. "I'm here. I'm right here."

She nudged him towards a little outcropping and sat him down, rocking slowly until he calmed down. Clarke handed him a tissue and he blotted his eyes and blew his nose. "I made you something," he finally said. Clarke handed him his bag, and he unzipped it and pulled out a flat, rectangular package that had been wrapped in what appeared to be a paper grocery bag that had been stamped with – if Lexa was not mistaken – a potato cut into a star shape, dipped in paint. "Clarke helped with the wrapping," he added. 

"I never would have guessed," Lexa said, smiling at him and winking at Clarke. She untied the kitchen twine that held the paper in place and peeled it back. Inside there was a wooden picture frame. Burned into the wood was something like the painting Clarke had done for him to welcome him home. Except instead of two figures, there were three. 

"I made it in tech ed," Aden said. "I hope you li—"

"I love it," Lexa choked. "Aden, I love it." _I love **you**_ , she didn't say, not yet, but from the shine in his eyes, maybe she didn't have to. 

They stayed a little longer, until their eyes were dry and not so puffy, and then they set up Lexa's camera on a timer and posed for a few pictures, and Lexa knew one of them would be going in that frame just as soon as she could get it printed.

* * *

"Wait," Lexa said, when Clarke got up to leave, after Aden was in bed but before she could be tempted not to. She had a temp gig in the morning and she didn't want to risk being late. "I have something for you." 

"For me?" Clarke asked, perplexed. 

Lexa went into her room and pulled a small box from her drawer. It was the size usually associated with jewelry (and had had jewelry in it at one time, but Lexa couldn't remember what), and she saw a flicker of surprise in Clarke's eyes when she handed it over. 

"You didn't have to," Clarke said. "This is _your_ day, not—"

"Just open it," Lexa said. "Please."

Clarke kept her eyes on Lexa as she lifted the lid, only looking down when it was completely off. Nestled inside was a set of keys, attached to a keychain that Lexa had had to get engraved special, because it turns out that you could find 'Clark' anywhere, and 'Clarke' nowhere. 

"So you can come and go when you want to," Lexa said. "Even if I'm not here. I want my home to be your home... my family to be your family. My..." She swallowed, licked her lips. "My son to be your son. If you'll... if you'll have us."

For a second, Lexa thought Clarke was going to drop the keys and run. For a second, she thought she'd gotten it all wrong. For a second...

And then Clarke crashed into her, kissing her so hard she tasted blood and didn't care, and then they were stumbling toward the bedroom.

Clarke didn't go back to her place that night.

Or the next one.

Or the next.


End file.
